Why Go Paperless – Why ECM is Essential Technology for Local Government

As we prepare for GovLoop’s first-ever State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit, we and the presenters are posting blogs about many of the sessions and some of the tips they will share. The summit is October 22nd and free for everyone — make sure to register here! This post was written by Terri Jones, Government Marketing Manager, Hyland and expert panelist for the “Why Government is Going Paperless” online training.  

One of the hottest technology topics in government is the idea of creating a paperless government. It is definitely on the minds of government leaders. Here’s some statistics to consider:

• 90% of government leaders believe reducing paper would save their agency money
• 89% of Government leaders agree that reducing the amount of paper in daily operations is important
• 72% of government leaders say reducing paper would enable better constituent service

Clearly, government leaders are thinking about being paperless and what government staffer hasn’t had the same dream as they stared at their inbox or searched for a document in a basement file room? Is it even possible?

 “Why Go Paperless” will explore the world of ECM to help you understand how ECM can be used to eliminate paper. Starting with the idea of digitizing paper, this session will explore the progression from eliminating file cabinets, printing and copying to leveraging digital documents to automating tasks to preparing for the future of government.

While ECM can eliminate paper, will it do more than just get rid of filing and inbox trays? 

“Why Go Paperless” will explore how an ECM investment aligns with some of the most pressing local government challenges including service delivery, mandates and compliance. This session will answer these questions using local government examples of the impacts of going paperless.

Embracing ECM to react to challenges may be critical to your jurisdiction, but what about your future organization? How can ECM position your community for the future, and the future constituent? 

In this virtual session, explore the advantages of going paperless including transparency, mobility and citizen engagement, reduced staffing levels and changing funding priorities. Applying real examples of document management solutions, this session will include data about the results of document management projects and describe the ways that these impacts will provide the foundation for a more efficient and responsive government.

Facing IT investments can be overwhelming especially if the technology would also change the paradigm of government. If you are considering investing in ECM, what do you need to know to decide whether the investment makes sense for your organization? “Why Go Paperless” will look at the what you need to know to conduct a smart selection process. Along the way, you will survey the key functions of a document management system and the questions you need to ask to select a solution that will be a wise investment well into the future.

“Why Government is Going Paperless”  is part of GovLoop’s State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit, an all-day, virtual event with 6 different online trainings, networking opportunities and resources to help you do your job better. It takes place on October 22nd. You can see the schedule and register here for free. You can earn up to 6 CPEs by attending, so be sure to register!